My Last Breath (Zutara)
by Tarynasaurus
Summary: People make mistakes, and that's okay. But when Katara begins to mess up, despite her perfectionist image, Zuko is the only one who can understand. Will the mistakes made be the cause of Katara's death? Can Zuko save this girl? (Inspired by the song My Last Breath by Evanescence) (Rated T because it may be a little heavy/depressing for some people)
1. Intro

"You can't just leave me like this," Katara whispered, her voice hoarse. She looked so thin, and weak. Zuko looked back at her, tears in his eyes.

"Katara… If I don't leave you're going to die here. I don't want that to happen…"

She looked up at him, Zuko's torchlight causing her blue, watery eyes to look starry. "With every breath I take, I'm closer to my last. I don't want you to come back and have you find you were too late."

"You're the strongest girl I've met. You're a fighter, Katara. Not everybody has that gift. Use it to hold your last breath… for me. Until I can come back with help," Zuko said, his raspy voice comforting the dying girl. Katara hesitated for a moment, but nodded. She knew things would probably turn out better if he got help. She just couldn't stand the thought of being alone.

"Thanks, I'll be back soon, I promise," Zuko said, pecking her cheek and running off to get help.

Katara waited for him to leave, then carefully hugged her cold body. "I'm holding my last breath… It's safe inside myself. But all my thoughts are of you…" she whispered whilst closing her eyes. Was this a goodbye?


	2. 1 - Everything

~6 Months Earlier~

Katara chuckled softly as Aang played with Momo. She had always thought he was quite an interesting flying lemur. Well, Katara wouldn't know since he was the only one she had ever met, but she assumed. She slowly let the laughter die out, so Aang wouldn't see how she really felt. He didn't handle it very well when she was upset, and she didn't want anybody to make a big fuss out of her.

Very slowly, she stood up. "Katara, where are you going?" Aang questioned.

"Just to the Jasmine Dragon, I'm exhausted. May I take Appa?"

"Sure, go ahead.

"Thank you," she quietly replied while softly smiling. She wished he knew, but was glad he didn't. The melancholy girl hopped onto the great air bison, Appa, and began flying to the Fire Nation; she had lied about her destination. Really, she had to see Zuko. She needed advice.

Katara always loved the feeling of air flowing through her hair. It made her feel… free. When you're so used to being a good, well-mannered girl you need to feel free every once in a while. The pressures of being the Avatar's girlfriend are just so suffocating that after a while, she can't handle it. Maybe, just maybe, if she talked to Zuko it would help her get some perspective. Being the new Fire Lord must be stressful, after all. Though Zuko was always so lost, Katara felt Iroh had passed down much wisdom to him. If Zuko wasn't available she could even talk to Mai, she could probably relate to what Katara was feeling.

She fumbled with her braid and signature 'hair-loopies'. The hair was too tight and restricted, it reminded Katara of herself. She preferred it to be down. How strange, considering she rarely put her hair down anymore. Appa let out a grunt and Katara couldn't help but wonder if he could sense her distress. While in Won Shi Tong's library she had read animals could sense stuff like that.

Katara began to see the Fire Lord's palace after about an hour of flying. Relieved, she landed. The guards nodded, for they knew who she was. They informed her that Appa would be okay, then allowed her into the palace. She wandered around the halls for a bit – she wasn't exactly familiar with the place yet. She reached the Throne Room, where Zuko sat.

It smelled heavily of ash and those new things called 'cigarettes'. It was a deep crimson color all around. It made the room feel quite small, but cozy. Zuko extinguished the flames that were in front of him and smiled at the sight of his old friend. "What are you doing here?" he asked happily, grinning the whole time. Katara's face was just blank, her eyes milky, as if she were in a far off place.

She couldn't hold it in anymore. Collapsing on the floor crying, she finally let it out. She was showing her pain, her hurt, her confusion. What she wanted the world to know. Zuko's smile turned to a grimace as he ran down the steps to her aid. She couldn't help but notice he smelled strongly of cinnamon. She loves cinnamon.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly.

Katara hesitated for a moment.

"Everything."


End file.
